


Centum Fabulae: 81-100!

by BeeTeeDubya14



Series: Centum Fabulae: The 100 Prompts! [5]
Category: Mario Tennis (Video Games), Miraculous Ladybug, Persona 5, Persona Series, Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Undertale (Video Game), Wario Land (Video Games), Warioware
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Alternate Universe - Persona Fusion, Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Alya Césaire Bashing, Alya Césaire Redemption, Alya Césaire sugar, Banks - Freeform, Based on a Tumblr Post, Bee Miraculous, Black Cat Lê Chiến Kim | Leopard Cat, Casinos, Castles, Character Death, Chloé Bourgeois Bashing, Crossover, Dragon Miraculous, Egypt, Egyptian tombs, F/F, F/M, Fox Miraculous, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth Fucking Dies, Gen, Horse Max Kanté | Pegasus, Horse Miraculous, IT'S ALL SELF-INDULGENT, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Ladybug Ondine | Vedalia, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila Rossi is a horrible person, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Limericks, M/M, Man on the Internet, Megalovania (Toby Fox), Metaverse (Persona 5), Monkey Miraculous, Moth Lila Rossi | Farfalla, Mouse Miraculous, Multi, Museums, Nathalie Sancoeur | Mayura Fucking Dies, Outer Space, Papilio AU, Parallel Universes, Persona 5 References, Persona 5 Spoilers, Poetry, Polyamory, Prompt Fic, Rabbit Alix Kubdel | Bunnyx, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, Song Parody, Turtle Miraculous, Underswap Muffet (Undertale), Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underswap Sans (Undertale), WRITE THE FICS YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD, memery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 9,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22230520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeeTeeDubya14/pseuds/BeeTeeDubya14
Summary: Hey, everyone! I found this old list of 100 prompts I had saved somewhere, and I'm gonna try to write something for each of these.WARNING: THE WORK MIGHT NOT FIT THE PROMPT; IT'S BASED OFF OF MY MIND CHAINING THINGS.Fandoms (Some May Share):Miraculous: 81-84, 86-92, 94, 96-100!Other: 82-89, 93-95, 98 & 99!
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi, Caline Bustier & Original Character(s), Captain Syrup/Mona, Emilie Agreste & Nathalie Sancoeur, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Lê Chiến Kim/Ondine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Okumura Haru, Max Kanté/Lê Chiến Kim, Pauline/Peach-hime | Peach Toadstool, Waluigi/Wario (Nintendo)
Series: Centum Fabulae: The 100 Prompts! [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1508894
Comments: 26
Kudos: 45





	1. What's The Use

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Pen & Paper!"  
> It didn't go as planned at all...  
> This story was partially inspired by (https://terrible-miraculous-ladybug-aus.tumblr.com/post/190203269983/an-au-where-emilie-is-yellow-diamond-and-nathalie)!

To say that Nathalie was surprised to see Emilie Agreste’s ghost one peaceful night was an understatement.

The spirit of the actress had appeared in front of her bed, warning her that the same fate that befell her would befall Nathalie if she kept using the Peafowl, even if it was now fixed.

“But don’t you want to return to Gabriel?”

The apparition heaved a great sigh, before explaining how she’d died.

The marriage between Gabriel & Emilie had been far rockier than the tabloids would ever know. They argued constantly about how to raise their son; Emilie wanted him to see the world and go to public school, whereas Gabriel wanted him safe and home-schooled. In time, Emilie figured this marriage could no longer work with Gabriel being so stubborn, and it had culminated in a nasty fight that led to Gabriel accidentally cracking the Peafowl brooch, resulting in her sickness and eventual death. No matter if Gabriel could bring her back or not, Emilie was dead now, and she desired to be at peace for once since Adrien came into the world.

Nathalie was still slightly unsure; like Gabriel, she wanted Emilie back as well, but she ultimately decided to respect the wishes of the  _ ex- _ wife of her boss. About a week ago, she’d moved on from her attraction to Gabriel, and had sworn off men; she had only continued to help due to the fear of what Gabriel would do if she tried to leave and guilt of her actions. 

That was about to change; knowing what must be done, she handed over the Peafowl brooch to Ladybug and her allies at the next opportunity, tipping them off to Gabriel’s identity in exchange for her innocence.

It was a tough decision for the woman’s heart, but Nathalie felt a bit better about it as she packed her bags and exited the mansion. Gabriel hadn’t spoken to her, but she wasn’t entirely sure if she wanted to stay anyway, now that she had no reason.

The final battle was a few days later; Nathalie suspected Adrien needed some time to comprehend with his father’s actions. She’d figured him out after she’d quit, and of course she’d said nothing to Gabriel, who had been struggling to find a replacement when the heroes had jumped him.

He never did figure out how Ladybug and her companions had figured him out; Agrestes were emotionally obtuse men at times, and he’d written Nathalie’s disappearance off as her finally taking some well-deserved vacation time or something. It wasn’t entirely wrong, though; she’d inherited the company after things had settled down. 

Even then, however, she was only being an interim leader until Adrien’s girlfriend Marinette was old enough to take over.


	2. Life Will Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Can You Hear Me?"  
> It didn't fit the prompt at all, but I'm still very proud of it.
> 
> This is a continuation of Prompt 68: A Guardian In Tokyo (https://archiveofourown.org/works/21573865/chapters/51753490)!

As Marinette started spending more time with the Phantom Thieves and went through the Metaverse with them, she found her bonds with them increasing as well.

Akira and Morgana, the latter of whom was practically attached to Akira after he moved back home for a while (though he’d return eventually). Whenever they met, Marinette almost never knew what the Wild Card had planned for the day’s itinerary; they’d done all sorts of crazy stuff together. Upon learning of what Shido had done to the former, she would have throttled his Shadow Self had she been given the opportunity, but he was either far too muscular to get a good grip or atop his golden minions during that battle. Mona always called it a shame that Marinette hadn’t gotten her hands on him.

Being the daughter of two fashion designers, Ann was able to get Marinette an in with her family’s company after everyone graduated from university. Panther eventually modeled for Marinette when she released her first line, as did the rest of the Phantom Thieves (plus honorary members Yuuki & Shiho). It also helped that they both knew what it was like to feel foreign and not taken seriously.

Yusuke was Marinette’s first pick for designing fashion show posters, and when they fought Yaldabaoth, Fox had been the first to comfort her when the false god told her of his third Wild Card - Lila Rossi, who he’d given the power to change cognition and therefore been behind the misery she’d faced back home. She had decided to go back and face her past (and Hawkmoth, who was now wreaking uncontrolled havoc) in Paris once the messes were cleaned up in Tokyo, although she visited the Phantom Thieves quite often, eventually staying there for university and most of all beyond.

Goro had asked for Marinette’s help on cases on occasion, and she had helped him solve a few before the Detective Prince’s death. She had asked Tikki and the other kwami if they could revive Crow, but they’d warned her of the consequences, comparing it to Emilie’s situation after Hawkmoth’s defeat. She felt bad for him, even with all he’d done.

Futaba and Makoto grew up to be a criminal-busting duo - with Queen leading operations and Oracle behind the scenes - so Marinette didn’t see them that often, but when they were able to make it, it was always fun to have them (especially during meetups with all the Phantom Thieves).

Ryuji was always eager to chat with her, and the two were so close that in high school he and Marinette were more than occasionally mistaken for a couple. This worked to their advantage, however, as Skull was dating Akira & Marinette was crushing on someone else at the time.

Speaking of that crush… 

Haru had confessed that she’d taken a fancy to Marinette first, causing the then-budding fashion designer to nearly faint with joy. They’d gone through countless trials and tribulations together as lovers - and later wives - but they’d always persevered and crushed any challenge in their way. Sugimura once tried to get Haru back almost a year after they married. Marinette made sure that even if he had gotten her, he wouldn’t be making children with her (she kicked him in the balls).

When Marinette grew too old to take care of the Miracle Box - a few weeks after Haru’s passing away via old age - she passed it onto the Velvet Room’s residents through Joker, who had been keeping correspondence with Igor & Lavenza. They were more than willing to take on the responsibility.

Marinette died happier than she’d ever dreamed of being when she was in Paris, so getting out of that city was the best move she’d ever made as a heroine.


	3. A Miraculous Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Heal!"  
> This didn't fit well at all, but at least I love the idea I came up with...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Red is inspired by Papilio, a character from an AU you can find here: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1422379

“So you mean to tell me that we’re inside Ms. Bustier’s heart?” asked Marinette, an equally puzzled Adrien nodding along.

The enigmatic, purple-clad woman calling herself Red answered, “Metaphorically speaking, yes. We are in her Palace; a dimension borne from her twisted cognition of the world. The fact that we’re in a castle implies she thinks herself to be the Queen of wherever this is in the real world.”

After Red finished explaining the premise of the “Metaverse,” Marinette & Adrien explained their end of the story; they’d been walking to another day of class with their manipulative pushover of a teacher, turned the corner to school and found themselves in the Metaverse.

When the three outsiders were found and captured by “Queen Bustier” and her guards - though Red managed to escape (she said she’d return, but Marinette doubted it; they’d freed her from a prison cell, so she was probably eager to gain freedom) - Marinette suddenly heard a voice speak to her inside her head before they could execute the young model Marinette crushed on. 

“ _ My, my… are you in need of help? _ ”

As if on cue, a horrible headache began to wreak havoc upon her head, but no matter how much she thrashed, the uncaring guards held her still.

“ _ Is your love for this boy surpassed by your desire to survive? Would you give him up to see your own freedom through? _ ”

A sudden feeling of determination coursed through Marinette, stronger than it had ever been. 

“That’s enough.” uttered Marinette, her voice resolute and firm. Ms. Bustier’s Shadow Self - or so Red had called it - paused and turned to her, then ordered her execution first.

A great wind emanated from out of nowhere, blowing the guards to the bars of the cell where they were holding this execution. When the winds died down and everyone could look forward again, their heads whipped to Marinette, who now had a mask on her face. Where it had come from was unknown.

Marinette gave a shrill cry of pain, grabbed onto the mask, and pulled it off. There was a splatter of blood, and blue flames erupted from the ground under Marinette.

The flames engulfed the young fashion designer; though they didn’t seem to harm her, as her eyes - which were now a golden yellow - and grinning mouth peeked through, making Shadow Bustier more than a bit scared.

Marinette cried out the name of the other self residing within her, “Let’s go… Philomela!”

The flames began to move away from Marinette, who was now decked out in a black and red suit; they began to make the form of a woman before dissipating as quickly as they’d come in a burst, leaving a nonhuman “woman” with the wings of a nightingale and a giant but severed tongue behind.

The two guards that once held her back transformed into other shadowy monsters, but with a call of  _ Kouha _ and a few lashes with the whip Marinette had summoned out of nowhere, they dissolved into the same dark material they’d jumped up from.

Later, Adrien would awaken to his inner self as well and they would be reunited with Red. But that is a story for another day… 


	4. Foxfight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Out Cold!"  
> The idea was to fit with Yusuke's Ice abilities as a pun, but it didn't go as planned...  
> This is also inspired by Prompts 27 & 9, which are found here respectively:   
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/20677427/chapters/49602920  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/20981342/chapters/50069546  
> Read them in that order (27, 9, 84)!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt was inspired by this post from Tumblr's "yusuke-of-valla": https://yusuke-of-valla.tumblr.com/post/189674064041/fox-and-rena-rouge-vs-volpina-send-tweet  
> You can also find them here: https://a-salty-alto.tumblr.com/

“I can’t believe how bad a friend I’ve been,” Alya sobbed into the arms of Yusuke, “I feel horrible!”

When Marinette started giving Luka a chance and Adrien started dating Kagami, Alya grew suspicious when her best friend still showed disbelief in Lila’s stories. At first she’d chalked it up to jealousy over Lila’s own attraction to the model, but now that just didn’t make sense. The only reason Marinette would believe Lila was lying other than misplaced Adrien jealousy could be that Lila was lying, and when she researched her tales -  _ as I should have done in the first place _ , she later lamented to her pen pal who had moved in recently with some of his longtime friends - the results made her livid.

“I understand what it’s like to want to run from the truth and not admit that you’re wrong far more than you think. I never told you about my home life in Tokyo, did I?”

When Alya shook her head no, Yusuke painfully told her the tale of Madarame and the Phantom Thieves (he left out all the parts of being one of them, of course). He’d just finished when the sound of screams echoed in the distance, followed by cackling that sounded somewhat like Lila.

Yusuke dashed outside, and Alya, after taking a moment to regain her resolve, followed. She didn’t see where he went, but she caught sight of the newest hero - Fox, she believed his name was - leaping towards battle.

Ladybug ended up finding her and giving her the Fox to help her take down Lila - or Sanguinaria, as she was going by - who had been caught snatching an akuma for its powers.

After the battle was done and Lila had been carted away to face punishment, Alya asked Ladybug to pass on a message to her friend Marinette.

The message was that she was sorry and wrong, and it explained why she’d done what she’d done, ending with an offer to be friends again that was able to be refused.

The next day, Marinette hugged Alya, and told her she accepted the offer, so long as it didn’t happen again.


	5. Corkscrew Romance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Spiral!"  
> It only fits at all because of one of the main characters... and even then, it's only a little fitting.  
> This prompt is based off of this AU of mine: (https://thebigpapilio.tumblr.com/post/175002411360/mario-fans-heres-a-thought)  
> Go check out the fic I wrote based off it (https://archiveofourown.org/works/19796473) and the inspired fic "Justpassingthruman" wrote!

Wario and Waluigi first met in a police lineup.

Both had been up to no good - and that was putting it nicely - but the crime they’d been called in for was done by someone else; both of them had covered their tracks well.

The two made conversation, found out they clicked, and through many challenges, they became such great partners that when Mario invited Wario to a tennis tournament with a plus-one if he so desired, Waluigi was the first person that came to mind. The lanky man had mentioned he loved tennis, and that he was good at it even without cheating.

From there, things went into realized attraction, extreme pining on both their parts, and after their big heads exited their arses, it bloomed into romance. In fact, after they and Luigi were rescued from the curse of Lucien and recovered, the first thing Wario did was get down on one knee, asking Waluigi to be his partner in a whole new way.

When the wedding day arrived, Peach - who had been in peace talks with Bowser for multiple days and were more than eager for a break - helped pay for their wedding, happily stating that “love is love.” 

In a tad more insulting tone, she muttered to herself that the two of them were meant for each other after she’d left.

Big, bad Bowser redeeming himself had inspired some other changes in Wario & Waluigi, and they invited their proclaimed rivals Mario & Luigi to be their best men. The heroic brothers had been a big part of their lives, after all.

Mona had cried oceans of tears at the wedding, but not due to her crush on him - she’d gotten a crush on the cute pirate lady Wario semi-begrudgingly invited and was now working towards interesting Captain Syrup instead of her boss. Watching them talk, Waluigi laughed to his husband that if he didn’t know better, he’d say that Mona had a type (that type being riches-loving people). 

They felt they owed Peach a favor for helping pay for the wedding (complete with paying the planner; Mrs. Toadia Ide had been Star Spirit-sent). So when rumors of Peach crushing on the Metro Kingdom’s mayor reached their elven ears, they knew what they had to do.

When the two ladies got together and eventually married - partially thanks to their help - Peach declared them her best men, letting Pauline have the Mario Brothers as hers, as she’d known them longer.

When an orphaned kid came through a new pipe near the antiheroes’ mansion, they took him in; seeing as he had no name, they dubbed him Wild upon adoption.

For love, things were  _ waa-nderful _ in the Mushroom Kingdom.


	6. Zio e Padri

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Seeing Red!"  
> It doesn't fit too well, but I'm quite proud of it nonetheless!

To put it nicely, Ryuji Sakamoto knew a lot about dealing not only with a shitty dad but with manipulative, superpowered criminals as well.

Unless you count Kunikazu Okumura (which is debatable, as he wasn’t Ryuji’s dad), he’d never put up with both at once.

But when a spirit named Leimei summoned him to another dimension in hopes of dealing with a supervillain going by “Hawkmoth” in exchange for one last safe usage of his powers from the Metaverse, Ryuji was more than willing to answer the call. He needed a break from life for a while, and Leimei agreed to use her power to cover for him, so what was there to lose?

Right, his life. Not a problem; Skull had done this many times before, and he was fine with doing it again.

Over the months, Ryuji befriended some kids around Futaba’s age at the university he was temporarily attending. Leimei’s magic allowed him to understand French - he was in Paris, apparently - as well as be understood back, so making friends with Marinette, Adrien, Nino & Chloe (among others) wasn’t incredibly hard. Plus, they didn’t berate him as often as Morgana and his other friends did.

He wasn’t leaving them behind in the end, of course - his boyfriend would be heartbroken and more than confused at his sudden disappearance forever. 

What was weird was that as the weeks went by, no appearances by the so-called Hawkmoth  _ or _ his akuma occurred. Ryuji was beginning to wonder if Leimei had sent him to the right place when Hawkmoth declared a final battle on the 11th of October, a deadline that reminded Ryuji of Kunikazu even more.

He’d been researching into Hawkmoth’s identity while transformed - something he could now do at will - and he was fairly sure he’d narrowed it down to the father of Chloe, Alix, or Adrien. His bet was on Gabriel, as well as his hope - whereas Andre Bourgeois was just a bad parent and Todd Kubdel a strict one, Gabriel was not only both of them but a bad person overall, as shown by the effects on his new friends.

On the 11th of October, Scarlet Moth attacked with a swarm of forcibly akumatized villains and Mayura at his side. While Ladybug and Chat Noir started fighting the akumas, Ryuji transformed and snuck around the streets-turned-battlefield to get to the source of the problem, as a true Phantom Thief would.

Unfortunately, by the time he’d gotten there, Ladybug and Chat Noir had been utterly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of akumas and dragged to Scarlet Moth, where he and his Peafowl partner planned to execute them before taking their Miraculouses and doing whatever they were going to do.

Not today. Not ever.

* * *

Scarlet Moth had raised his sword cane to stab Chat first when a voice cried, “HEY!”

From the shadows behind him stepped a young man around the age of 20. His hair was dyed blonde, and he wore a mask shaped like a skeleton’s head (minus the jaw, anyways). He was decked out in a black jacket with a red ascot, and overall looked like a masked punk… 

…one who stood in Scarlet Moth's way, however, so the supervillain supposed he would have to be eliminated before they could proceed.

“And who are you supposed to be?” he boredly drawled.

“The name’s Skull, asshat! I heard these guys were getting beaten, so I came to help!” 

“You and what army?” Mayura asked. “In case you haven’t noticed, not only are there two of us and one of you, but we have hostages. Move and they’re going to die.”

“I don’t think you get it. We’re on equal footing other than the hostages, and I don’t need to move too much to defeat you.”

With that said, he pulled a shotgun from out of nowhere and started firing. Scarlet Moth and Mayura leaped out of the way, but they left the local heroes unsupervised in the process.

When it ran out of ammo, Skull put it back into hammerspace and dashed for the bruised bug and cat heroes. Reaching them before Mayura & Scarlet Moth could realize what he was planning, he grabbed them, slung them over his back, and jumped up to a building nearby, laying them down gently on the roof. 

Ladybug managed to utter out a “Who… are you…?”

Skull quickly responded, “Skull. Stay there unless these bastards get past me!” 

Ladybug nodded, and slowly rose to her feet, Chat joining her a few moments later.

Skull then turned back to Scarlet Moth's and Mayura, just in time to dodge the blade of the former. It whiffed by him beautifully, and he returned to his position watching the villains and guarding the usual protectors of the city.

“You really need their Miraculouses, huh?” Skull questioned. “What do you need ‘em for, anyways?”

“The power the Ladybug and Black Cat will grant me can bring my wife back to me! That is all I desire!”

“Wait, what? Ain’t you married to Mayura or something?!” Skull blurted out.

“Imbecile… no, she merely is helping me. We have the same goal and nothing more.”

“Whatever… let’s finish this!”

In a flash of fluid, languid movement, Skull grabbed the mask covering his face. He began to pull on it, and with a splatter of blood, he ripped it off. Powerful, blue flames erupted around him as he uttered the word that would spell the downfall of Paris’ resident supervillains.

“PERSONA!”

When the flames had suddenly died down, a new figure was riding atop a red-eyed black cloud behind Skull. It held a giant bo staff in its right hand that rested on its shoulder, and it had an eye-catching mohawk. Overall, it was something like a futuristic samurai, and it certainly had both supervillains intimidated. He managed to steel his nerves, though, and readied his sword.

“ _ Seiten _ …” Skull began. Scarlet Moth & Mayura charged him, only to find their path obstructed by a recovered Ladybug & Chat Noir.

Skull then cried out, “... _ TAISEI! _ ” 

Storm clouds poofed in from out of nowhere, dropping mighty thunderbolts upon Mayura and Scarlet Moth. When the electricity was finished with coursing through their bodies, both dropped to the floor; Mayura was unconscious & her boss was on his last legs. 

Slowly, unsteadily, he rose to his feet. Skull just walked up to Scarlet Moth and clobbered him with his bat, knocking him out for good.

Once everything was cleaned up with Gabriel ( _ called it! _ ) and his atrociously-behaved assistant, Ryuji said his goodbyes to everyone and went back home. Leimei promised he could visit every now and then, something Ryuji was pleased to hear.

The former Phantom Thieves were pleased to see him back too. Morgana even started trying to be less of a condescending brat to him after everyone reunited.

Both dimensions were at peace at last.


	7. Slow & Steady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Food!"  
> It didn't fit at all...  
> This is a sequel to Prompt 83 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/22230520/chapters/53357392#workskin), which is based off of this AU of mine (https://archiveofourown.org/series/1422379)!

After a few more trips to the Metaverse (plus the awakening of Adrien to his Persona Sekhmet & reveal of Red’s Persona Psyche), the newly dubbed Lady, Chat & Papilio were only having so much luck, but they were pretty close to the “Treasure” Papilio said could make Bustier confess her crimes if stolen properly. That said, Papilio had also noted things would be optimal with a fourth member, but it wasn’t exactly as if one was going to fall into their laps. 

Or so they thought.

The day before they managed to get close to the Treasure, Marinette & Adrien arrived at school with Red (who in the real world took the form of a butterfly-winged mini-human) hidden in Marinette’s bag. They arrived just in time to see Nino (who had been called into her room for a “private meeting” nobody had details about) jump off the roof in a suicide attempt. Nobody else was around, so they rushed over to try and catch him. Red knew the two kids wouldn’t be able to break his fall with their strength, so she crawled over to Marinette’s phone and activated the Metaverse app, transporting them and Nino into the Palace. Nino landed perfectly in Chat’s outstretched arms.

When he opened his eyes, he found the masked faces of Papilio, Chat & Lady staring back at him. He scrambled out of the Curse-affinity Persona wielder’s grasp, landing on the floor with a harsh thump (though it was a sound much softer than the one he would have made in the real world). They explained everything to him just in time to be suddenly surrounded by guards. Summoning Philomela, Sekhmet & Psyche, the three rushed to protect the young DJ. In their haste, they left a weak spot open while defending Nino, and by the time they’d cleared out the Shadows, Nino had been taken.

Fortunately, the guards did a bad job hiding their tracks, so the heroines and hero gave chase; when they caught up, Nino was bound on an X-shaped cross, with Shadow Bustier and three guards (one of which looking far more powerful than the others) waiting for them.

“One more step and he dies!” Shadow Bustier warned them when they got close; reluctantly, the three heroes stopped in their tracks.

Meanwhile, Nino looked around in panic; suddenly, he heard a voice speak to him that somewhat reminded him of his own.

“ _ Do you seek salvation? _ ”

An attention-encompassing pain coursed through his head, but the chains restraining Nino’s limbs kept him from moving much.

“ _ Surely you can’t just avoid what this foul woman has done to your friends… to  _ **_you_ ** **.** _ Will you fight? Or are you going to continue to ignore the problem as you have in times past? _ ”

“I’m not gonna run anymore…” Nino growled out, as an unforeseen strength now coursed through his body, allowing him to break from the bonds holding him back.

“Let’s face my… no,  _ our _ problems head on!”

Finding the goggles over his face to be the source of his torment, Nino ripped it off. The same ethereal blue flames burst from around him, and they disappeared just as quickly, leaving a turtle-esque humanoid prepared to protect him.

The three guards dissolved, and after merging together, transformed into a powerful-looking Shadow unknown to the heroes. Nino - or Pace, as he would come to be called - just  _ hmphed _ , before giving his new Persona a command.

“Give ‘em shell… Enki!”


	8. The Blood-Red Rabbit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Pain!"  
> I think it fits pretty well...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of Prompts 83 & 87, and is inspired by this AU of mine: (https://archiveofourown.org/series/1422379)!

After taking the Treasure of Caline Bustier - who had indeed confessed all her crimes and turned herself in at a school assembly - the rumors spread by the Calling Card the Miracle Thieves - or so Red, Marinette, Nino & Adrien had called themselves - became all almost everyone at the school could talk about. It quickly spread to the parents, and Paris’ attention flocked towards College Francoise-Dupont in turn. Everyone who was in on the truth kept the secret, of course.

In time, Red took them to Sitrachra, the Palace of the public - meaning that it belonged to everyone with corrupt desires not currently strong enough to become a Palace - in search of their next target.

They found their next big target with the local art teacher, Mr. Peruggia; he’d been stealing students’ works and crediting them as his own, drawing even more attention towards Francoise-Dupont.

Hungry for information, Marinette, Adrien & Nino tracked down the art-club goers in their class - Alix & Nathaniel. The two acted quite suspiciously upon being questioned, attempting to shrug it off as “payment for extra help on their assignments” and “just commissions.”

This didn’t help their case; it sounded like Mr. Peruggia was manipulating them. The Miracle Thieves found his Palace quickly from there; it took the form of a museum and was also situated at the art club, meaning it would be hard to get there without being noticed.

It was so hard, in fact, that during their second trip, a curious Alix & Nathaniel - who were staying late to finish a “commission” for Mr. Peruggia - were sent to the Metaverse along with them.

Not long after Lady, Chat, Pace & Papilio explained everything to them - although they refused to believe it at first - they were confronted by guards and “graced” with the appearance of Shadow Peruggia himself. 

He was dressed up in gaudy golden garb, and he looked upon the Miracle Thieves with disdain. He spoke of his “achievements” with pride, “thanked” Alix & Nathaniel for their sacrifices, and when Nathaniel said this wasn’t the “Mr. Peruggia I know”, he disregarded it, comparing their “commissions” to how cattle were used for their meat & milk with a complete lack of recognition that such a thing was horrible.

It was this anger Alix & Nathaniel felt that led to their Personas’ awakening.

When the battle began, Hare zapped a few Shadows with the help of Nanabush, while two winged ones attempting to get the drop on her were shredded by the sharp ice summoned by Comb’s Persona Curupira.

After clearing out the Shadows that had accompanied Shadow Peruggia, the Miracle Thieves and those who had vowed to join them in bringing Peruggia to justice made their escape.

They would eventually defeat his Shadow Self & steal his Treasure. But what happened afterwards is another story…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Internet cookie for anyone who knows why the Madarame equivalent was given this name! Put your answer in the comments, and if you're right, you may get something more...?


	9. Banking On Victory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Through The Fire!"  
> It fits for my plan with one of the characters, but not really otherwise...

As predicted, the Miracle Thieves changed the heart of the villainous Renzo Peruggia, making him confess his crimes and turn himself into the police.

As his Palace crumbled around them, Nathaniel heard Peruggia mention something about a “grey-masked person”. This meant someone else was using the Metaverse… they would have inquired more about it, but they had to leave or risk being crushed by the museum.

Similar to the time that Ms. Bustier had her change of heart, the world’s attention swarmed College Francoise-Dupont. That said, it did so even more, and the corrupt dealings of other teachers were found; the only ones found innocent were Ms. Mendeleiev, a few other teachers, and somehow Principal Damocles made it out as well.

A while later, Marinette, Adrien, Red, Nino, Alix & Nathaniel had about settled on their next target; Bob Roth, a greedy record company owner who had one of Marinette’s favorite musicians under his thumb. A bit of research into his Palace - a bank - revealed he’d been doing dirty deals with some upstart mafia group in Paris. They were a small outfit, but they were growing fast, and they were getting all kinds of people caught up in their business by tricking them into delivering drugs or the like and blackmailing them with the info.

When Kim & Kagami - the former a classmate of the team, the latter one of Adrien’s few other friends - got roped into it, they began a secret investigation into the Miracle Thieves. This was not to reveal them, however - when they did eventually figure the heroic teens & their tiny teammate out, however, they confronted them and asked for help dealing with Roth in exchange for keeping the truth hidden. The Miracle Thieves had little choice but to agree.  
They started by warning the athletic duo about the dangers, then took them into the Metaverse. This wasn’t as irrational as it may have sounded; in the Palace, which was all of Paris, Bob Roth’s bank (where his Treasure presumably was) floated above everyone, leering down on them like a vulture watched an old animal it would later scavenge the corpse of for food. It only was accessible by “workers” (his co-conspirators) or customers (his victims), and as Roth saw Kagami and Kim as customers, the floating Palace made its way down to let them in.

When Bob Roth’s Shadow Self - a well-dressed businessman who looked like he’d been eating well - threatened that they make him _25 thousand euros_ or pay a fatal toll, Kagami & Kim refused; there was no way they could make that much money, especially not in the 3-week deadline they were given.

Personas awakened in turn, and with the help of Zirnitra & Sun Wukong, two new Phantom Thieves made their escape from the Palace.

In time, Dragon & Ape would join the ranks of Marinette & company, and even when Bob Roth brought out a robotic dragon of his own to stop them, he found himself sliced & whacked into submission.


	10. Poemory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Triangle!"  
> I think it fits rather well!
> 
> I'm sorry that this was short...

See, Adrien had lots of fans,

But he liked two most of all in the lands,

His choice of  _ mon ami _ ?

Marinette & Kagami!

For you see - Adrien has two hands.


	11. Uncharted Waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Drowning!"  
> It sort of fits at first, I guess...

When Tawleed came to, he was drenched, and a person he did not recognize was lip-locked with him.

It wasn’t until the person addressed him as civilian that he realized he wasn’t transformed. It was also odd that they were dressed oddly like Chat Noir…

Max quickly picked up that he had accidentally teleported into some sort of parallel universe where he wasn’t around. He did his research at a place he’d been put in for the time being (until he could get back home), and he learned some interesting things.

There was a different Ladybug & Chat Noir, for starters; they were named Vedalia & Leopard Cat, and they were clearly not the same person. Furthermore, there was no version of him in this universe (which was for the better, probably; now there was less of a chance of causing some universal malfunction), and Hawkmoth had been replaced by a younger girl (Max would have guessed them to be around their age) called Farfalla. 

Looking at her closely, Max was suddenly reminded of Marinette saying Lila was lying, and how a look of anger had briefly crossed her face before she started crying ( _nothing more than alligator tears_ , he now realized). He also realized she was likely lying, but it wasn’t like he could look it up at the moment… 

Max turned to Leopard Cat & Vedalia and made them an offer. He would help them take down Farfalla if they helped him get home. Vedalia said she knew someone who might be able to help check his Miraculous, and Max agreed.

* * *

Max thought he’d seen someone like Yu Mar before, but he couldn’t place it.

Yu introduced himself as the Miraculous Guardian, and Max introduced himself as his universe’s Horse wielder. Yu had it checked up within the hour, calling it ready to go at the end.

On the bright side, it made Max remember the circumstances that had taken him here. Despite having his identity exposed to Hawkmoth during Miracle Queen’s attack, Ladybug had chosen him to fight another akuma - Hole Worm or something like that - under a different name & costume; as Tawleed, he’d seen Kim get caught up in an explosion, and that distraction had led to him being sent through a portal, where he’d fallen unconscious into the Seine and been rescued by Leopard Cat.

In exchange for the help, he tipped them off to who his educated guess on the identity of the resident supervillainess- namely, Lila Rossi was the likely perpetrator of all the “bowtizations.”

Leopard Cat noted she’d always seemed less impressed by Vedalia & his exploits, and before Tawleed went home, he saw Farfalla’s fall through.

When Tawleed returned home, he learned he hadn’t been gone too long; Ladybug and Chat had cornered Hole Worm when the portal had spat him back out, slamming into the akuma with a _thump_ and breaking the akumatized item. 

One purification, cleanup & attempt to return the Miraculous (Ladybug made him a permanent member after hearing his story) later, Max ensured the first thing he did when he saw his boyfriend Kim was kiss him. Then he went and exposed Lila through the group-chat (which they hadn’t added the liar to yet), and they listened to him, because if Max said something was a fact or a lie, he was most likely right; Marinette thanked him profusely in private once she had a moment away from her compunctious classmates. Not long after, he, her and Adrien (who had revealed their identities in a moment of security) were well on their way towards pinpointing Hawkmoth’s address.

Tawleed referred to his time in that alternate universe as “The Travel.” Looks like a bit of travel really does good for everybody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points (or a reward, perhaps) if you can tell me why I gave the Fu equivalent the last name of Mar.


	12. Can They Hack It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "All That I Have!"  
> The prompt was originally going to be a romantic thing, but it turned into the idea of "giving it one's all" - something that once more did not go as planned!

It was during their summer break that the Miracle Thieves found their next target. Really, it was a shame they didn’t spend all of it actually having a break…

A hacker group - an international organization by the name of Samedi - had threatened to take down the Phantom Thieves in a France-wide hacking search if they didn’t reveal their identities and turn themselves in. Marinette had been contacting the other Thieves on her phone through a protected chat, but that was more than hackable… if they didn’t take down Samedi, they were screwed. 

Fortune seemed to smile down upon them, however, when a mysterious “ally” - if you could rightfully call them that - under the alias of Orunmila had hacked into the team’s phones, offering to help them deal with a hacker group that had been terrorizing the world if they changed the heart of a certain target. Marinette was astonished to learn it was Alya Cesaire, her best friend before some girl named Lila showed up and started stealing her time. Marinette didn’t know what Lila had done to take Lila’s interest, but she was only so worried about it right now, what with the rise of Samedi and all.

They agreed, and with proper cuing, the team was transported to Alya’s Palace - a tomb in a desert, oddly enough.  _ Why would Alya think of the world as her tomb? _ Marinette, Nino and the rest of them could only wonder. Steeling their resolve, they went into the temple. Surprisingly, Alya’s Shadow Self - wearing stereotypical Egyptian royal garb - was waiting for them, and from this they learned she’d known they were the Miracle Thieves early on.

This worried the team greatly; Alya could be a bit loose-lipped, but she was trustable more often than not. Alya’s Shadow disappeared before they could inquire further, so they merely began to traverse the Palace in search of the Treasure.

A while after finding the Treasure, they would learn that Orunmila was a concerned Max, who had been spending time with Alya and was concerned for her. He offered to help by giving the Calling Card to Alya, and during the battle against a powerful cognition of Lila, he and Alya (who alongside Max had accidentally been transported with the Miracle Thieves) would awaken to their Personas.

If Cognitive Lila was no match for the Nuclear attacks of Techie & Orunmila (a Persona, not Max’s temporary alias), then the navigational & world-hacking skills of Guide (Max's new codename) & Anansi ensured that Lila’s cognition would never plague Alya again.

As for the real Lila, however… that’s a story for later.


	13. ZORROLOVANIA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Give Up!"  
> I think it fits decently well, I guess...
> 
> I memed y'all, be warned!

  * you're not my usual kid ya know,
    * wanna have a bad time? then let's go.
  * before we start, i've got to let
    * ...you in on a little secret...
  * i've got my gaster blaster gun,
    * i'll tell you before we have our fun,
  * but if you think i’m sans, you’re mediocre,
    * IT'S ME, MORGANA! LOOKING COOL, JOKER!



* * *

  * Mona’s showed up, to Sans fans’ displeasure,
    * Taking your hearts & taking your Treasure,
  * I assure you, you don’t want beef with me,
    * The heart and core of the Phantom Thieves, you see!
  * Morgana’s going in real deep!
    * Demanding that you go right now to sleep!
  * Zorro & Mercurius bring the hurt,
    * So go take a nap… IN THE DIRT!



* * *

  * Magician Arcana, you all are Fools,
    * And I will teach you to make tools,
  * I helped Joker make his A+,
    * And I can turn into a bus!
  * Embodiment of human hope,
    * My memories? Oh, out they NOPEd,
  * I’ve got something like a Jojo Stand,
    * And my name isn’t Sans!
  * Hit you with a Miracle Punch,
    * You’re no fatty tuna, but I will eat you for lunch!
      * Steal your heart before the deadline - we’re on a time crunch!
  * Slice and dice with a Garudyne… 
    * Then heal my friends with Mediarahan so they’re doing fine!
      * I want Lady Panther to be my Valentine… and on sushi I’d like to dine!



* * *

  * Myyyyyy… name is Moooonaaaaaa,
    * The first one with Personaaaaaa,
  * Stole stuff from my creators Atlus,
    * Fought off many with slingshot & cutlass,
      * I take none of the world’s injustice,
        * Phantom Thieves, cause a ruckus!
  * Enemy Shadows? I can hack that!
    * Mascot of the team? It is this black cat!
      * Like Skull I can go on the track fast,
        * This song will come to a finish at last,
  * Check out the origin of this meme,
    * From Man on the Internet and his team,
      * Did I make them proud? If so, I’ll beam!
        * If not, I yowl and scream!



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For my inspiration for this joke, go check out YouTuber Man on the Internet at (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkWuZ0UvpVzJ2d9n11bQpmA)! He and his allies do awesome stuff!


	14. A Royal Pain In The Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Last Hope!"  
> It doesn't fit all too well...

As Alya was now a member of the Miracle Thieves, she had no reason to confess anything; ergo, there was not as much attention flocking to their collège. There was still an uproar, however, when it was revealed that their principal had suffered a mental shutdown. Many people thought it was the Miracle Thieves that had done it, as they were the only known group who could do things like this to people’s minds. The actual Miracle Thieves deduced it must have been the grey-masked Metaverse user that Mr. Peruggia had spoken of.

Another worry rose up as well; Marinette and company learned from Alya & Max that Lila was vicious for all the wrong reasons. Lila was an increasingly popular transfer student who had been spreading nasty rumors about Marinette, who was also well-liked in the school. When Alya found out, she confronted the Italian, only to have her Marinette’s livelihoods threatened; any attempts to bring this up to teachers Lila somehow lied her way out of each time, and Alya was being stressed out about not being able to do anything for her best friend.

Strangely enough, however, she didn’t have a Palace according to the Metaverse Navigator. 

It was then that Chloe came to them. Chloe revealed she’d been traversing her mother’s Palace for a while, and struck a deal with them - help her take down Audrey Bourgeois, and she’ll figure out how to get to Lila.

The heroes had little choice, especially when they overheard Lila planning to frame them as the Miracle Thieves, so they went to Audrey Bourgeois’ Palace - one that they later learned was half-Andre’s as well. Chloe had yet to reach that part on her own, hence her coming to them for help.

The Shadow Selves ruling the Palace soon faced defeat at the hands of the newly-dubbed Queen and her Persona Melissa. They were turning to leave the crumbling Palace when the sound of two gunshots echoed throughout the area; Papilio’s expert eye saw a flash of gray and gold disappear right after. They saw the Shadow Self of Andre & Audrey collapse to the ground and dissolve, and . 

Chloe didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye; her parents were found dead from dual mental shutdowns by the time they got there.

The funeral passed, and Chloe resolved to join the Miracle Thieves; technically, they’d made good on their end of the deal, and now it was personal anyways.

Chloe was pretty sure she knew who had the world on a headhunt for them, anyways.


	15. An S.I. Of Relief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Advertisement!"  
> It doesn't fit at all...

It seemed to be through sheer circumstance that Rob & Emily ended up in the Phoric World, but they were ultimately pleased with the results of doing so.

They’d awakened to their innermost selves - Personas, they were called according to the anthropomorphic dog called Jada, who had saved them with the help of her aerokinetic ally Hecuba - and gone on to cleanse the soul of Emily’s ma.

It had taken the hard work of the four individuals to do the job: Rob (who went by Jack in the Phoric World) and his pyrokinetic Persona Perseus, Emily (a.k.a. Hope) and her Curse-powered Persona Laverna (a fitting Persona for the Righteous Spirits they had dubbed themselves as), Jada (who went by Jade as a codename), and the recently awakened Nicole a.k.a. Sickle and her Electric Persona Fulgora. 

Even when Adeline Sanford’s Shadow Self transformed into a giant monster - a set of whiteboards making a face that befit her job as a middle school teacher - she wasn’t able to stop them from defeating her and taking her MVI (most valuable item). It was a crown in the Phoric World, but it took the form of a medal she’d gotten for good teaching or something like that.

They had started working on the corrupt owner of the company  _ Benitez  _ when his son Jared found out what they were doing; instead of reporting them to the police, he asked them to prove their justice and show him the truth.

It was during a confrontation with the Shadow Self of Marco Benitez that Jared found his own Persona talking to him. Steeling his resolve, he summoned Janus & with a call of Frei, he obliterated the last Shadow standing in their way.

From then on, Wrench would be a member of the Righteous Spirits, and their ranks would only get greater from there.


	16. The Winds of Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "In The Storm!"  
> I think it sorta fits...?

It occurred to Marinette after a tough battle with no allies but Chat Noir that she could give the heroes she had selected Miraculouses. She just couldn’t give them the ones they’d owned before!

Given the issues of Chloe’s betrayal and Lila’s manipulation of some of the class, however, not everyone would be returning to the hero spotlight; namely, Alya, Kim, & Max would not be given a Miraculous again. Everyone else would, but they wouldn’t be receiving the same kwamis.

When Hawkmoth akumatized an aggrieved Alya into Blog Monster after Ladybug denounced the Ladyblogger & her tabloid on stream, Ladybug found Marc, who had been informed of the Lila situation by Nathaniel (who had figured the liar out after she was tricked into saying she worked with Vincenzo Peruggia, an art  _ thief _ ). Marinette had come to terms with Alya’s actions - even if Lila had been manipulating her, she had gone too far (unlike others who were tricked) - and decided that the best way to teach her a lesson would be to beat her at what was once her own game. She handed Marc the Fox Miraculous, and with the help of Jackal’s illusions, Blog Monster had her last experience involving a Miraculous’ power (not helped by the fact her blog had basically lost its reputation; even if she did go after the akumas, she wouldn’t have an audience). It was a little while after this happened that Nino joined Marinette’s side, having done some research and realized Lila was lying after a jealous Alya had tried to snatch his new pendant (specifically the Mouse Miraculous which transformed him into Jerboa), resulting in the two heroes breaking up.

The next akuma to face a new hero was Mr. Roth, who became Thingamabob in order to get his son XY - who had come out as gay and cut ties with his “toxic” father in an attempt to change his life - to return to the music business. 

Ladybug chose Luka & Juleka for the Turtle & Horse Miraculouses (there had been no other way to hide their identities from each other, as they’d been together and spotted her first), and after Thingamabob was defeated with the help of Dìonadair & Clydesdale, the police arrested him for assaulting XY in a crazed last-ditch attempt.

On many jobs where they faced up against criminal civilians that weren’t akumatized, Ladybug would deputize a wielder to Chat Noir; Master Fu may have prevented her from telling Chat their new allies’ identities, but Marinette was going to do things a little differently. Chat would know all her picks’ identities, and she would know all of his. Heroes came and went, such as Nathaniel becoming the new Bee wielder Binshtok, Rose getting the Dragon to become Liulei, and Kagami receiving the Monkey in order to aid them as Macaque.

There were many times that Chloe was akumatized into Antibug or some other version of a hero (one time she became a rehashing of Copycat called Impurrsonator), and after the initial return of Antibug, Ladybug entrusted Chat Noir to pick a new hero. He (with a heavy conscience, having more than seen what using the Snake could do to people) chose Sabrina, who had cut ties with Chloe after the whole thing with Miracle Queen, and with the help of Anaconda, Antibug would eventually fall each time, although it took more and more tries until a plea to her father led to her being deported from France entirely. That would be the Mayor’s last term in Parisian office; he retired after his term finished, and Roger Raincomprix eagerly took his position.

Anaconda (and the others) would still be of help on more than occasion, such as for the final battle with Hawkmoth, Mayura & “Catalyst” - a.k.a. Lila. With the help of a younger Bunnyx and many other new heroes, peace returned to Paris (and both Nooroo and a fixed-up Duusu to their kwami friends).


	17. French Mustered Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Safety First!"  
> It doesn't really fit...  
> Warning: Death happens here, and while it's not especially detailed, it's not pleasant, either.

When Marinette found out her beloved kitty’s father was Hawkmoth, she lost all respect for the monstrous mogul.

She wanted to Cataclysm him, but Adrien had the Black Cat, and it wasn’t like Adrien was going to do it himself. Adrien did agree his father needed to be taken down, but he also didn’t want him to die by Cataclysm.

“Why am I not surprised?” Plagg had snarked about it, only for Adrien to darkly add, “I didn’t say we weren’t going to end him; I just said we weren’t going to Cataclysm him.”

They started picking allies new and old in their quest to murder Gabriel Agreste. Kim & Max received each others’ Miraculouses, becoming Championzee & Ngựa Giông respectively, while Nino (who had broken up with Alya a little while after he found out the truth about Lila; Marinette made sure to hug him the second she could after hearing about it) received the Snake and named himself Althaeban. 

New members were also brought in; Ivan & Mylène also received Miraculouses, Mylène using the Fox to become Farceuse & Ivan receiving the Turtle to become Émeraude, and Sabrina (who had quite publicly ended her friendship with Chloe after Miracle Queen; she was now friends with Marinette but also learning to live her own life without serving others like she had Chloe) was given the Dragon, dubbing herself Wyvern.

Other allies included Nathaniel & Marc, who would use the Goat & Rooster Miraculous respectively to become Rumanant & Gallinacean so akumas could be kept busy and therefore not impede the plan. With the Tiger & Bee, the jobs of Abazure & Seillean were to round up any co-conspirators the Miraculous team had dug up with the help of a spell from the grimoire (which they’d recovered from Hawkmoth after he tried bringing it out in order to cast a death spell on the original two) to severely lower the chances of Hawkmoth finding an akuma in the first place. They’d found the list of co-conspirators (or in some cases those who knew but said nothing due to bad reasons - fear of incurring his wrath was understandable) to contain Lila Rossi, Audrey Bourgeois & Tomoe Tsurugi; the only others were the builders of the underground areas of Hawkmoth’s home, who were innocent - they had no idea what he would use it for.

With the revelation that not one but  _ two _ Bourgeois ladies aided Hawkmoth hit Paris, the reputation of the famous family - and the Tsurugi one as well, though as Kagami made her own path and become successful, Chloe’s would not end up as positive - would be totaled, and the only half-decent one certainly wasn't going to be elected mayor again; Roger Raincomprix would take his role. He would prove himself a far better mayor than André ever was.

The plan went flawlessly, in the end. Nathalie - who Adrien should have known was Mayura - was simply beheaded by Wyvern when she stepped in their way. All Nathalie got was a few steps forward before the severely strict secretary’s head was flying through the air, landing unceremoniously on the floor with one swing of Wyvern’s blade.

Hawkmoth paled.

Pulling a lever to open the window where his akumas usually flew out of, he made a run for it, only for Championzee and Ngựa Giông to appear from a Voyage portal and kick him back down. Althaeban & Émeraude took the opportunity to restrain him while Ladybug summoned her Lucky Charm. 

Ladybug expected a gun, knife, or some sort of weapon, but she didn’t expect the guillotine to appear. Fitting for one of France’s worst villains to be executed this way. 

There was no need to worry about legal issues - they’d gotten licenses to kill for Hawkmoth alone with André’s help (he’d been disgusted by the actions of his daughter and soon-to-be-ex-wife, and wanted to do what was right) beforehand - so they took the Peafowl Brooch & Moth Pin and swiftly decapitated Adrien’s father before Chat’s conscience could get to him.

While other villains would show up in the future, none of them would be as threatening - or face punishments as severe - as Hawkmoth’s.


	18. Monsters & Moths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Puzzle!"  
> It really only works as a reference, and that doesn't get displayed here...

Marinette was 16 when the monsters were freed.

It was quite the shock to learn about it all, though the magic thing was not new due to all the business with Miraculouses.

That said, Marinette worried how powerful an akumatized monster would be. Her fears were alleviated, however, when an akuma merely bounced off of her new teacher Toriel after Ms. Bustier was fired for favoritism and lack of bullying prevention. Her ex-husband Asgore was also hired as the principal after Mr. Damocles followed suit. 

Apparently, the inherent magic of the monsters made them immune to akumas. The so-called savior of monster-kind - a young agender named Chara - seemed to be immune as well. To make matters even better, some monsters had taken to battle, helping against Hawkmoth’s akumas. While any masks would be pointless given the distinctness of their species, Hawkmoth was nearly powerless against the boundless energy of Sans, the raw strength of Alphys & the rising superstar DJ Napstaton’s dazzling attacks. Other monsters would also aid where they could, healing Ladybug and her allies when they got too hurt & on occasion stepping in with powers like Grillby’s pyrokinesis, Muffet’s Spiderman-esque skills, & Undyne’s water powers (plus she’d make gadgets to help Ladybug & company).

Eventually, Hawkmoth attempted another Heroes’ Day, and with the help of a healthier Mayura this time, Ladybug, Chat Noir, and their monster friends had their work cut out for them.

It was when Sans’ back was put against the wall that Hawkmoth spelled his own downfall - his protective older brother Papyrus brought forth his own immense power to save the day, and when Mayura attempted to escape, she became even more blue, in a sense of the words.

Marinette would eventually be revealed to the monster heroes, and with their help, no one would be using the Miraculouses for evil anytime soon.


	19. Acquitted But Not Quitting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Solitude!"  
> It doesn't fit at all...
> 
> ONE TO GO, EVERYONE!

It was odd that Chloe suddenly found Lila’s Palace inaccessible when she and the other Miracle Thieves tried to enter it, but through sheer circumstance they found a better option. As it turned out, Lila was merely a rabble-rouser for Adrien’s father, the true villain. 

Gabriel had been “attacking” the Metaverse in order to avenge his wife, who had been exploring a Palace with him when she was caught & killed by Shadows. Because Gabriel did not know who’s Palace she had died in, the fashion mogul swore revenge on all Palace owners, and as he had no power to fight himself he’d hired Lila to do the job for him. How he came across the girl’s connection to the Metaverse, however, remained a mystery.

The Miracle Thieves decided in order to defeat Lila, they’d have to take out her benefactor first.

Gabriel’s Palace took the place of a great ship traversing around the dark, broken world around him. This represented not only his belief that he was above the rest of the world but also his willingness to see the entire world suffer if it meant achieving his goals was possible.

As they fought their way through the Palace, they came to the boiler room, where the Grey Mask - who turned out to be one and the same with Lila - was found. She’d taken on another “contractor” and been told to take out Gabriel for a greater sum than he was paying her, so Lila decided their ship had sailed and had been moving to kill him when the Miracle Thieves ran into her.

It was a tough battle, especially when Lila whipped out not only one but two Personas - Mohini and Discordia - but the heroes persevered and knocked her unconscious. Queen took extra pleasure in finishing the battle.

After relieving her of her phone - and therefore the ability to reenter the Metaverse - they tied her up and left her in front of the police station with a note telling the fuzz of everything she’d done, including her assassination of the mayor and his wife, leaving evidence they’d found on her person and a warning to keep her away from phones with her.

Gabriel’s heart would still be changed, and the Miracle Thieves would be cleared of their wrongdoings. They would continue to make the world a better place for a long time to come.


	20. Final Confrontations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt is "Relaxation!"  
> It doesn't really fit, does it...
> 
> I DID IT Y'ALL

The instant Papilio heard about Chat Noir - well, she heard it was  _ Adrien _ , but she’d figured him out a while back - being in the hospital, she knew something needed to be done about Hawkmoth. With the Black Cat out of commission, the Ladybug wouldn’t be able to do squat against Hawkmoth alone, whether there were akumas, amok, and/or even Hawkmoth & Mayura themselves.

It was time to test a theory.

Whether Gabriel was or wasn’t Hawkmoth didn’t matter, really. He was an abusive & neglectful douchebag with the morality of sandpaper; him being Hawkmoth would just make arresting the beanpole easier.

While Marinette was in the hospital watching over Adrien’s unconscious form - Gabriel should have been there, but he wasn’t - Papilio first recruited her girlfriend Caline to become Wisdomina (a Champion with a similar power set to Catalyst, albeit without the boost to the strength of Papilio herself) and then quietly set about recruiting other Champions, explaining as much of the story as she could without giving away the identity of the Black Cat wielder or others. 

Knowing that most of Marinette’s allies were teens, she decided to commission mostly adults; by the end of it, she’d comitized Marinette’s parents into one Champion dubbed Panifex, Otis Cesaire into Wild Side (Marlena had been busy), Mr. D’Argencourt into Good Knight, Nora/Anansi into Arachnora, Wayhem into Disco Fervor, Amelie Graham de Vanily into Grand Valor, Jagged Stone into Metal Lord & his girlfriend Penny Rolling into Lady Thief. Even the Gorilla became Silent Simian in order to aid the superheroine’s army, murmuring it was a long time coming. 

Hawkmoth and Mayura had been preparing to send out another akuma and amok when the unofficially-titled Sub Heroes crashed through their window. Lady Thief’s infrared vision allowed her to spot Hawkmoth and his Peafowl crime partner through the walls of the Agreste mansion, so the Sub Heroes knew they weren’t mistaken; even if they were, Gabriel had been abusing & neglecting his son for far too long, anyway.

It didn’t take long for an overwhelmed Hawkmoth to succumb to the Sub Heroes and lose his Miraculous and freedom, but Mayura managed to escape into the night with her Miraculous. As the transformed Sub Heroes and Papilio watched Gabriel be driven away in a police car, Papilio decided to settle for what they had succeeded in doing so far; Mayura was on the run now, and while they would be searching for her, she’d have to attack eventually if she wanted to win. The heroes would catch her eventually.

Adrien and Marinette were in for one hell of a surprise when they woke up.

* * *

By the time Adrien had woken up, Mayura was still nowhere to be found. Marinette - who was more than shocked when Papilio presented her with the Moth Miraculous - was pleased to see it, but the shock only increased when she realized Papilio knew who she was. 

Adrien, on the other hand… to say he was not happy to hear who Hawkmoth and Mayura were was an understatement. 

An amok came for him once, but Ladybug purified it. Later that day, Mayura chose Lila as the one who would be the last super-villainous source. Alya, who had been redeemed when she saw Lila threatening Marinette once more a few weeks back, had caught her willingly accepting an amok on camera.

To say Papilio & Ladybug were ready was not entirely true. Adrien was still healing, so he couldn’t use Plagg. This said nothing about Papilio, however, who temporarily traded Miraculouses with him (really, it was more like she lent him her Miraculous for safekeeping while she borrowed the ring). Ladybug found a good partner in Miss Fortune, although the temporary Black Cat wielder could never compare to Chat Noir.

A giant fox monster with a spiked, bludgeoning weapon clenched in its teeth proved no match for the duo, and Mayura was not lucky enough to run this time.

Nathalie was arrested, Adrien healed, and Paris returned to peace… for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt was inspired by GalahadWilder's Avoidance (https://archiveofourown.org/works/20966015)!  
> I suggest reading its predecessor as well - GW's a fantastic author!  
> Oh, and it's also based on my Papilio AU (https://archiveofourown.org/works/21312691)!


End file.
